Aviation: Mixed Code Arrangements

Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What assessment they have made of the implications of mixed code arrangements for Heathrow airport runways on (a) noise pollution; (b) night-time flying; and (c) carbon dioxide emissions.

Lord Davies of Oldham: Possible mixed mode operations at Heathrow are still being assessed and will be the subject of consultation next year. This will report on the noise and local air quality implications, with particular regard to the limits set out in the Air Transport White Paper. Other impacts, including CO2, will also be taken into account in the appraisal.
	The Government have announced night-flight restrictions running until 2012. Further consultation is expected in due course on controls to apply from 2012. Introduction of mixed mode operation does not, of itself, imply any changes to night flight restrictions.

Lord Adonis: Information on the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, the United Nations reporting process and the recommendations to the United Kingdom by the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child is held on the Department for Education and Skills website: www.everychildmatters.gov.uk/uncrc. This website also contains the 1999 UK periodic report on the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child which responds to the 1995 recommendations made by the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child. The UK's response to the 2002 recommendations together with the UK's next periodic report will be published in July 2007.
	Information on the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child can also be found on Government's Directgov website, as well as the Foreign & Commonwealth Office website.
	The department does not disseminate information to schools, health centres, hospitals, courts, job centres, post offices, libraries and other similar establishments. However, there are opportunities within citizenship education to learn about human rights and how they relate to young people and could include the convention. Information on the convention can also be accessed through the websites described above.

Lord Davies of Oldham: The results of the Department for Transport's annual survey into the issuing of disabled persons' parking badges bylocal authority was published on the DfT website on 19 October and showed that some 2,258,000 badges were on issue to disabled people in England as at31 March 2006.
	A comprehensive review of the blue badge scheme was completed in 2002. The Disabled Persons Transport Advisory Committee (DPTAC), the department's statutory advisers on the transport needs of disabled people, was asked to look at the responses received and to submit recommendations to Ministers. Its report was put forward to Ministers and the majority of the recommendations were accepted by the Government in 2002. The department is working on those recommendations which require changes to regulations and plan to consult on the draft regulatory package early next year.

Lord Brabazon of Tara: Two groups of employees provide cleaning services within the House. Housekeepers employed directly by the House are contracted to work Monday to Friday from 6.30 am to 10 am except for the head housekeeper who is contracted to work from 6 am to 10 am. Two members of the housekeeping staff choose to work from 6 am to 9.30 am. Different and more conventional working hours apply to a small number of housekeepers who carry out special cleaning tasks in support of the Library and the Parliamentary Archives.
	The House also employs the services of 24 Mitie contract cleaning staff. Their working hours are broken down as follows.
	
		
			 Staff member Working hours 
			 1 Manager 6 am to 2 pm 
			 1 Supervisor 5 am to 12 noon 
			 1 Supervisor 2 pm to 10 pm 
			 19 Cleaners 5 am to 9 am 
			 2 Janitors 5 pm to 8 pm

Lord Davies of Oldham: No consultation has taken place with the British Olympic Association's director of performance to agree the medal target for the British Olympic Team in Beijing 2008. The target was set by UK Sport, the Government's agency for elite sport, in 2005, in agreement with DCMS. It will be finalised with the Minister of Sport in the spring of 2008.
	However, UK Sport officials have met the BOA's director of performance a number of times sincehis appointment in September to discuss high-performance issues.

Viscount Simon: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they will issue advice to road users regarding the use of coloured warning lights and other high conspicuity markings that in normaluse breach the Road Vehicle Lighting Regulations (SI 1989/1796).

Lord Davies of Oldham: The Government have no plans to issue general advice on the use of special warning lights and conspicuity aids. However, the Highways Agency has produced a code of practice on the self-escorting of abnormal loads or abnormal vehicles (which includes sections on lamps and conspicuity markings), and the Highway Code (Rules 194, 200) includes advice about emergency vehicles and flashing blue, red or green lights, and about the use of flashing amber light.

Viscount Simon: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What is their response to the proliferation of warning beacons or lamps and other high conspicuity markings being used on road vehicles in breach of the Road Vehicle Lighting Regulations (SI 1989/1796), in particular those fitted to abnormal loads, abnormal-load escort vehicles and recovery vehicles.

Lord Davies of Oldham: The Government are not aware of any proliferation of the use of lights or other conspicuity aids in breach of the Road Vehicles Lighting Regulations 1989 as amended (RVLR). Government policies, and the RVLR, restrict special warning beacons and high conspicuity markings to specific definitions of vehicles and uses; for example, vehicles used for emergency or abnormal-load escort purposes, so as to avoid undermining their impact and effectiveness. Use of such beacons and markings in breach of RVLR is a matter for enforcement by the police.

Viscount Simon: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Which organisations applied for permission to use lamps or other high conspicuity markings normally prohibited from use by the Road Vehicle Lighting Regulations (SI 1989/1796) in each of the years 2000 to 2006; and, for each of those organisations, when the permissions will expire.

Lord Davies of Oldham: The Department for Transport receives many applications every year from organisations seeking permission to use lamps or other high-conspicuity markings normally prohibited from use by the Road Vehicles Lighting Regulations 1989 as amended (RVLR). Many are refused permission. Government policy is to avoid proliferation of these aids in order to maintain their impact and effectiveness. Where such permission is granted, the organisation concerned is issued with a special order. Some orders granted have changed over time as amendments have been made to the RVLR.
	The following table summarises the special orders granted, and those expiring, in each of the years 2000 to 2006. A more detailed table, giving the names of each organisation and the coming into force and expiry dates of each order, has been placed in the Libraries of both Houses.
	
		
			 Numbers of Special Orders Granted Each Year 
			 Year No. Granted No. Expired 
			 2000 3 3 
			 2001 6 6 
			 2002 8 8 
			 2003 9 8 
			 2004 52 52 
			 2005 37 37 
			 2006 7 3

Viscount Simon: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	How many warning lights and high-conspicuity markings permitted in circumstances specified by the Road Vehicle Lighting Regulations (SI 1989/1796) are used regularly on road vehicles; and whether they have made an assessment of the potential for these markings to cause confusion to other road users.

Lord Davies of Oldham: No count is made of the number of vehicles permitted to use these aids, but lawful use is restricted according to requirements specified in the Road Vehicles Lighting Regulations 1989 as amended (RVLR), with occasional special orders to meet particular requirements (for example, for Highways Agency traffic officer vehicles). The aim is to avoid unnecessary proliferation of these aids which could undermine their impact and effectiveness. We have not made any specific assessment of potential confusion caused to other road users by such aids; however, assessments have previously been made that demonstrate the conspicuity benefit of these lights and markings for high-risk and/or emergency vehicles.

Lord Higgins: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	How many individuals have received talented athlete scholarships; and how many of those individuals have achieved Olympic, World or European medal success.

Lord Davies of Oldham: It is predicted that 2,729 athletes will have received talented athlete scholarships through the Talented Athlete Scholarship Scheme (TASS) by the end of the year 2006-07. These figures break down as follows:
	
		
			 2004-05 920 athletes supported 
			 2005-06 1,109 additional athletes supported 
			 2006-07 Approximately 700 additional athletes supported (awaiting final confirmation of numbers) 
		
	
	Athletes on the TASS programme are not generally at the performance level to be competing at Olympic, world or European championship level. There are notable exceptions however: for example, the silver medal won by Shelley Rudman during the Turin 2006 Winter Olympics; the three European Athletics Championship Medals won at Gothenburg 2006; and the 21 medals won by TASS athletes during the Melbourne 2006 Commonwealth Games.
	Additionally, we have seen significant performances from TASS athletes at World and European Junior Championships: for example, the gold medals won by Harry Aikines Aryeetey at both the 100 metres and 200 metres at the 2005 World Youth Championships.

Lord Luke: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they will ask UK Sport to approach sponsorship agencies to assist in raising the£100 million sponsorship fund to support aspiring Olympians.

Lord Davies of Oldham: Start Clean was the drug-free sport education programme set up by UK Sport in 2004. This was superseded by their 100 per cent ME programme in 2005. The Youth Sport Trust has not secured funding for, nor has any involvement in, either of these programmes.

Lord Davies of Oldham: For work related to Sports Colleges and the joint DfES/DCMS school sport strategy, the following amounts have been paid to the Youth Sport Trust.
	
		
			 Financial year DfES (£) DCMS (£) Total (£) 
			 2000-01 938,695 - 938,695, 
			 2001-02 1,135,624 - 1,135,624 
			 2002-03 1,842,368 1,041,150 2,883,518 
			 2003-04 4,841,881 1,394,000 6,235,881 
			 2004-05 9,040,225 2,187,000 11,227,225 
			 2005-06 15,959,487 2,534,500 18,493,987 
			 2006-07 10,151,296 to date 1,880,189 to date 12,031,485 to date 
		
	
	Information on other government departments' expenditure is not held by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.

Baroness Scotland of Asthal: The Government take this difficult problem seriously and are taking a range of non-legislative steps to tackle it. Including, raising awareness of the potential dangers of suicide websites being accessed by vulnerable people; encouraging search engine companies to ensure that search results give prominence to sites offering help and support to people contemplating suicide; and working with internet service providers to discourage them from hosting sites which may encourage suicide. The Department of Health is also continuing to explore what more non-legislative action might be possible in the context of their Suicide Prevention Strategy.
	At the Government's request, the Law Commission has considered the law as it applies to suicide websites as part of their work on participation in crime. It concludes (in Annexe B to its report Inchoate Liability for Assisting and Encouraging Crime, published on11 July and available on its website) that the problems posed by suicide websites can be adequately addressed without reform to the Suicide Act 1961. But it recommends that the language of the legislation could be updated, and that consideration should be given to applying its proposed provisions on extra-territorial jurisdiction to the offence of assisting suicide. We will consider these recommendations carefully.